Recognition
by shabbacabba
Summary: ZoeyxHunter story I've been mulling over. First fanfic. Constructive criticism requested. Discontinued.    sorry!
1. Kidnap

Authors Note: This is my first fanfic. I will appreciate every review. If you don't like it, leave a review explaining why. Same goes if you do like it. I will try and add more as soon as I can.

_Italics is the human side of The Hunter. __**Bold italics is the infected side of him.**_

No POV

In the middle of a city in chaos, four survivors make their way down the dilapidated streets in search of yet another safe house. On the rooftops above lurk many dangers. Smokers, Boomers, and the most feared of all The Infected, The Hunter. One of the latter watches as the four survivors below fight off one of the largest hordes they would ever see.

Hunters POV

_Pathetic, mindless zombies._ This was The Hunters first thought upon seeing the hundreds of common infected streaming from alleys and buildings towards the survivors below. _I _must _wait for them to get separated. I learned that the hard way. _Three days earlier this Hunter had attacked a group of three. He had pounced on the male that was leading the group. He had only barely managed to get away with only five bullet wounds. None of which were serious.

Then the female of the group got separated. The infected grabbing her and pulling her back while she attempted to reload her hunting rifle. _Ten feet. Not much. But with the number of lesser ones crowding the others, she should be easy to get._ Crouching down on all fours, The Hunter prepared himself mentally.

_Make it quick. Don't risk the hoard ending abruptly. Just rip out her throat and leave._ His mind and body ready, he leapt. The Hunter flew through the air with a grace no other infected could ever hope to attain. Landing square on his victims chest, forcing her onto the ground._ She hasn't screamed. Must have knocked the breath out of her._ The commons, knowing full well she was as good as dead, turned their full attention to the other three. He raised his clawed arm to slice open her throat.

Then he saw her face. _I knew her before. _

_**Who cares? That was BEFORE. Just kill her.**_

_No. I have to get her out of here._

With that thought he slung her over his shoulder and lept onto the same roof he had been on seconds earlier.

_Just ignore her screams._

He pushed himself to his limits with every leap, every landing. When The Hunter reached his old apartment building he grabbed onto a pipe running up the wall. Balancing the girls weight on his shoulder, he climbed.

_Where is my apartment again? _

_**Fifth floor, left side. **_

Swinging over to his busted window, The Hunter entered his old apartment.

Authors Note: Don't forget to leave a review behind.


	2. Conversation

Author's Note: My second chapter EVER! Woot woot! I tried to make it longer than the first.

Reminder:_ Italics_=thoughts of Zoey/Human side

_**Bold Italics=thoughts of Infected side**_

_This=Human and Hunter thinking together_

Zoey's POV

_What the hells going on!_

The hunter set her down on his bed. He grabbed her jaw and turned it left, then right. Before Zoey could get in a punch or plead for mercy, he released his grip, turned and walked to the far corner, sliding down the wall onto the floor. It seemed to Zoey that he was giving her space.

Zoey muttered to herself one word. "Why?"

The voice that answered sounded strained. As if its owner had been overusing it lately.

"Because I know you."

Zoey was so shocked that the hunter did speak in the first place, she didn't realize what he had said for a few though she was curious, she held her tongue. They stayed where they were, motionless, silent, for only a few moments, though it felt like minutes to Zoey.

The hunter broke the silence first. "I wonder if you'll recognize me..." He trailed off as he pulled his hood back. He met her gaze and Zoey gasped.

_I do recognize you! The long black hair, in an emo cut, and the eyes! Slate gray, I'd recognize them anywhere. _She said, "Zachary? Your alive?"

Zachary grinned and spoke almost sarcastically, but with sorrow in his voice "Yeah, I'm alive … But not the same"

"Your infected." Was her simple reply as she reached for her backup pistols. Zachary noticed and was across the room in less than a heartbeat, pinning her arms to her side. A snarl ripped out of his throat, Zoey closed her eyes expecting his teeth or claws to begin tearing her open. _Let it be quick. Oh God, let my death be quick._

But instead of attacking her, Zachary gathered her hands in one of his and took her pistols. He moved in close to Zoey's ear, so his lips brushed hers as he spoke, causing her to flinch, both in fear and surprise. "Please don't kill me" was his whispered message. That took Zoey completely off guard, she was about to say the exact same thing. He hesitated before pulling back and returning to the opposite wall.

Zoey was afraid of the possible answer but asked anyway, "Are you going to kill me?"

He looked shocked at first, but then something seemed to occur to him and he grimaced, but answered with authority and finality, "No, I will not kill you Zoey."

Relief washed over Zoey, so strong she almost hugged him, but instead she just smiled at him. Then she remembered her teammates. _That hoard was so massive. I hope their alive. _The thought brought a sad, desperate look to her face "Zachary, you have to take me back. My friends need my help."

Zachery's POV

As Zachary was leaning to Zoey's ear, he had a brief conflict with his Infected side

_She smells just like I remembered. What would she do if I ..._

_**Rip her throat out. **_

_I will never harm another person. So fuck off Xerxes._

_**You will hurt someone … eventually. Its in **_**our****_ nature._**

_Shut up._

Zachary wanted to argue, but couldn't find any way to prove Xerxes wrong. He realized that while they had been arguing, he had been lingering at Zoey's ear. He pulled away, and was about to hand Zoey back her pistols when Xerxes entered his mind, forcing him to keep his arms at his sides.

_**She will kill you if you give her the chance.**_

Zachary knew Xerxes was right. They could both smell the fear on her. For the first time they shared a thought: _When people get scared, they act irrationally._ So They kept a firm hold on Zoey's pistols and walked across the room to lean on the wall there.

Zoey seemed to get even scared as she took in a breath to ask...

_I hate that she's so scared of me._

_**I don't.**_

_I don't care what you think Xerxes._

"Are you gong to kill me?" Zachary couldn't help but feel shocked. He thought that she would know him better, appreciate all the things he had done for her over the past year and a half.

_**What have **_**you**_** done that's so special? You know that every other male that laid eyes on her did the exact same things. Little favors to get her attention. Your nothing to her, you never were, you never will be.**_

Zachary couldn't help but grimace as Xerxes made fun of his memories.

_I cant believe that. I sacrificed myself so she could escape campus. She did remember me after all. I have to mean something to her._

His next words were directed at Xerxes as much as they were at Zoey. "No, I will not kill you Zoey." Zoey's relief showed, both on her smiling face, as well as her smell. All her fear had left her. Zachary didn't have time to smile with his own relief before she was suddenly grimacing.

"Zachary, you have to take me back. My friends need my help." Zachary knew his answer immediately, "Of course. Oh! and sorry about taking you against your will." But before he even opened his mouth Xerxes clamped his jaw down, almost taking off part of his tongue.

_**Her compatriots will not be so forgiving. They will shoot you as soon as they see you. No matter what she says.**_

_You can't know that._

_**WHY NOT?**_

_Because I don't. You can only know what I know and vice versa. _Xerxes growled from anger, but released his hold on their tongue.

_**You will regret this.**_

Then Xerxes was silent. Zachary tried to sound, if not happy then at least normal. "I'll take you back" Zoey sighed from relief, her whole body visibly relaxing. She opened her mouth to speak but Zachary cut her off. "And I'm coming with the four of you. So you'll have to convince your friends to _not_ shoot me."

Zoey's mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. _Is she holding back a smile because shes happy that I'm coming?_ "Of course I wont let them shoot you. Come to think of it, Your a survivor as far as I'm concerned." Zachary finally relaxed his posture. He'd been tense from the moment he saw her.

He smiled and threw her pistols onto the bed next to her. She grabbed them so quickly he thought she would shoot him. But then she tucked them in her back pockets and stood.

Zachary moved to the window they had entered through and pointed to his back. "Get on" She hesitated so long he felt compelled to reassure her. "I won't drop you. Trust me" Zoey nodded and moved over to him, putting her arms around his neck and gripping him tightly.

_**I must admit, I do enjoy the feel of her breasts pushing against our back.**_

_So, you have a two track mind. You want to kill … and you want sex._

_**I hadn't even thought about sex. Maybe I should be pushing you in **_**that ****_direction._**

_Oh shit._

Zachary crouched on the windowsill, preparing to jump to the neighboring building, when Zoey whispered, "I do trust you." He knew no normal human could have heard what she said, so didn't acknowledge it. Then he sprung forward into the air. He tried to contain the scream of pure joy, but failed completely.

When he landed he turned his head towards Zoey. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "Sorry about the scream. I can't help it."

She opened her eyes. "Its not that. I …" a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, "never mind. Lets find the others."

With that he began running towards the edge of the roof. _Was she about to say I love... No don't encourage yourself _or_ Xerxes. Just find her friends._

Authors Note: It took me forever to settle on a name for Zachary and Xerxes. Don't worry about Zachary's missing back story, its coming.


	3. Dreams and Memories

Authors Note:Thanks to all those that reviewed. Your input and encouragements have been a great help. I felt that the Zoey POV part of my last story was lacking, so I'll try and improve it. I hope you know the drill with my thought system, cause I'm done explaining it. P.S. Is it lept or leapt?

Zoey's POV

Zachary ran towards the edge of roof they were on. At the last moment he lept, letting out a sharp cry. Zoey hadn't lied when she told him the screaming didn't bother her. She had secretly always liked the sound of hunters yelling. _His scream is different than the others, its lower._ They landed, and her grip around his neck almost broke. Zachary made no sound, no expression that the two story fall had effected him in any way. He just started running forward.

Zoey looked up and saw that he would have to leap up one story. She gripped his neck harder and put her legs around his waist. He smiled when she did. _Whats funny?_ Then he put his hands under her thighs and gripped them tightly, his smile growing as he did so. _Pervert._ She frowned just before he lept almost straight up into the air.

He grunted a little with the effort, but Zoey didn't notice. She was too busy holding on to him with all the strength she had. It was barely enough. _If his hands hadn't been on my legs, I'd be dead._ She understood why he had put his hands their but didn't like the way he smiled when her full weight had hit them. They cleared the edge by mere inches and landed hard. Zachary's knees bent to absorb the shock while Zoey's stomach plummeted.

He started running again, the movement did not help Zoey's already queasy feeling. She felt acid hit her throat and yelled "Stop! I'm going to be sick!"

He immediately stopped and released his grip on her. She did the same and practically ran to the edge of the roof, where she was violently ill. _I haven't been eating very much, this shouldn't last very long. _Zachery had moved with her and was kneeling next to her, rubbing her shoulders, both comforting her as much as making sure she did not fall.

It took longer than she thought. _I hate the dry-heaves_ She finally stopped long enough to catch her breath. Zachary asked her, "Are you going to be okay?" _That sounds like genuine concern._

She stood and Zachary did the same. "I should be fine." She paused and added "I don't think I can take jumping anymore. At least not for a few minutes."

Zachary nodded and replied "We'll rest here for a few." He moved over to a couch Zoey hadn't even noticed and sat down on the far left end. "Feel free to sit next me. I'll just rest my eyes for a moment." He yawned and put his hood up.

Zoey watched him until she was sure he was asleep, then moved over and sat on the other end of the two-seat couch. This close to him she noticed that he was growling softly with every breath. _I didn't know that hunters snored._ She laughed a little and closed her eyes. _Just a few minutes. Just … a … few._

And she was asleep.

Zachary's POV

He was in the dark, all he could see was himself. Looking down he realized with a start that he had no claws, no scars, and no hooded sweatshirt. _What the hell?_

**_This is what you looked like before the infection. _**Zachary looked up to see himself, the way he looks now. Claw, blood splatters, duct tape, everything. Their was one difference though, Xerxes' eyes were glowing the same strange yellow that the commons had.

_Where are we?_

_**Your asleep. **_Zachary looked at him questioningly and Xerxes guessed his next question._ ** This is a dream that I am the architect of. **_It unsettled Zachary that Xerxes could control him while he was asleep. **_I will not make you harm her. Trust me._**

_You never gave me a reason not to. _Zachary narrowed his eyes. _What do you want to show me? _

_**The moment that Zoey fell for you.**_

His eyes opened wide. _She doesn't love me._

_**How would you know? You repressed every memory of the day I was born. Everything you repress, I keep.**_

_Why?_

Xerxes smiled. _**So I can torture you with memories you don't want. **_His smile shrunk a little.**_ But that's not why I'm doing this._**

Suddenly Zachary was looking at a door, Zoey's dorm, he had no doubt. _**We are the same person. We want the same things, with the exception of my blood lust. We want to be with Zoey. I am making sure that you help me reach this end.**_

He reached for the knob only to find it locked. Cursing under his breath he bashed his foot into the door, busting it in after only two hits. He quickly scanned the room, until his eyes met Zoey's. The dream froze as Zoey whispered his name. _But do you want her the way I do? Or do you just want her body?_

_**I want her body. You want her to be safe, secure, and most of all, you want her to love and be loved. Your willing to sacrifice anything for her. But our desire to be with her will ultimately make our, meaning us and Zoey's, chance of survival much greater. Now shut up and watch. This is hard for me to remember.**_

_I have a feeling it'll get bad soon._

The dream restarted as if there had been no pause. Zoey ran forward and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back as she spoke. "I'm scared Zachary. There's been screaming and gunshots in the streets … the halls."

Zachary let her cry a little, but knowing that infected were already in the halls unsettled him. He made his voice as calm as he could when he did speak. "Zoey, we have to leave. Its not safe here."

She looked at him and wiped her eyes. "I know, my roommate turned. I had no choice. It wasn't Jenna anymore..." That's when he noticed the blood on her shirt, her face, the baseball bat thrown into the corner.

Not knowing what to say Zachary just held her tight. She surprised him when she pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back with abandon. The fact that the zombie apocalypse was beginning didn't stop him. Until Zoey tried to lift his shirt over his head.

He pulled back and groaned. "Now? No. Its neither the time nor the place. Later, when were safer."

She nodded and the dream blurred in what seemed like fast forward. Now they were standing at the end of a long hallway. Zachary held the bloodied bat while Zoey held onto a pistol. The door was partially open and the fire alarm was sounding off, right above their heads. Zachary turned his head and looked down the hall just as the first infected started streaming out of the nearest rooms.

He turned to Zoey, "Zoey go, don't argue and don't look back" He didn't let her say anything, he pushed her through the door and slammed it shut. Then Zachary turned to face the first hoard in history.

And his head jerked up. Looking around, he saw the familiar look of a destroyed city, and curled up against him, Zoey's sleeping form.

_I had a twisted ankle, there was no way for me to keep up with her._

_**So you remember now?**_

_Yes, and I have to get us to her friends, we're going to need them._

He put his arm around her and was about to wake her... _**Let her sleep. She needs it.**_

Authors Note: I hate my chair. It gives me a backache. I'm a teenager for Christs sake! I shouldn't get backaches! Anyway, I hope the Zoey part was better. I hate being a pessimist. Please leave a review behind. I need them to keep going.


	4. Xerxes' Strength

Authors note: Sorry for taking so long. Massive writers block and all. WARNING: disturbing death

Zachary's POV

He was content to let her sleep the rest of the night, but fate had other ideas. Across the street, on the roof of a department store, was a boomer. He couldn't see it, but he could hear and smell it. _Why do the commons love that stuff? It smells awful._

_**For once, I completely agree.**_

He finally saw the boomer when it ran up to the ledge and expelled its contents all over the ground. Not a half second later, it popped as a hail of bullets ripped through its already thin skin. _Could they be Zoey's friends?_

The common infected all around them let out a unified cry of rage, before running off in that direction. _Definitely her friends._ He shook Zoey awake, "Zoey, wake up." She opened her eyes and muttered something he didn't catch "Your friends are right over there." He continued, jerking his thumb in the general direction the hoard was moving in.

Zoey's eyes snapped open and she sat up, "You found them?"

Zachary pointed and said "We should hurry, they just got puked on." Zoey nodded, withdrew her pistols and moved to the edge of the roof, with Zachary two steps behind her. Looking down at the street the only movement came from the commons. "They must have holed up in that department store." he said pointing at the building the commons were rushing towards, while bullets flew out to meet them..

He could tell Zoey was worried but trying to hide it. "We cant just stand here, we have to help."

Zachary managed to keep a level head and grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. "What can we do from here? And before you ask, no I will not take you down there. There's too many and you only have your pistols." She still looked worried, almost desperate, but she nodded her head.

"I don't like to just sit and watch my friends fight for their lives. But your right, and they can handle themselves. Especially Francis." Zachary put his arm over her shoulder and Zoey reached up and put her hand on his. A few moments passed as they watched, the infected continued to barrel towards the store, and they continued to be cut down by the barrage of fire coming from the survivors inside.

Zachary heard a faint growling but couldn't place the source._** Left, left you fucking idiot.**_

Zachary snapped his head to the left and started scanning the rooftops. The other hunter was standing on the neighboring building, looking right into his eyes. As soon as they made eye contact, the hunter screamed his challenge, and lept. Zachary gripped Zoey's shoulder and threw her to the side. He turned just fast enough to cover his face before the hunter collided with him, pushing him to the ground.

The hunter raised its claws with a snarl, obviously going for Zachary's throat. Zachary didn't, couldn't, react fast enough. But Xerxes could. Using the primal strength that all hunters possessed, he reached up and grabbed the arm that was coming down to slash his throat, while his other clawed hand flew into the hunters stomach. Pushing with all his strength he threw the hunter off of him.

_Dammit Xerxes! Give me my control back!_

_**No. You lack the strength to defeat this opponent. **_

He threw his legs forward, landing on them and staring down the hunter that wanted him, and his mate, dead.

_That's a lie!_

_**If I hadn't acted when I did we would be dead.**_

Xerxes took complete control of the body he shared with Zachary.

Zachary continued to scream at Xerxes, but he tuned him out, focusing solely on his enemy. They began to circle one another, each one letting feral snarls and screams leave their lips. Xerxes suddenly charged forward, slashing at the others throat. It tried to duck below the swipe, causing Xerxes to rip three deep gashes in the hunters cheek.

The hunter stumbled back and Xerxes took this advantage to leap forward and jam one hand into his kidney. The hunter let out a howl of pain as Xerxes bashed his palm down onto the back of his head, forcing him to the ground.

The hunter pushed himself up onto all fours only to have Xerxes' foot fly into his side, forcing him back down to the ground, this time on his back. It met Xerxes eyes and snarled. _**You will regret challenging me. **_He reached down and grabbed the hunters throat, lifting him into the air. _**Suffer. **_Xerxes tightened his grip, the hunter reaching both hands up to claw at the hand crushing his throat. Xerxes, growling and smiling as he did so, grabbed the hunters wrist and twisted it.

A snap and a grimace signified that the hunters wrist was broken. _**Pain. **_Xerxes released the hunters hand which fell limply at his side. The other hand dug its claws deep into Xerxes wrist, causing Xerxes' face to twist into a glare that could freeze Satan himself. Teeth bared, eyes glowing a blood red, Xerxes picked his foot up and slammed it into his opponent's knee, crushing it. The hunters face was distorted so much by pain that it looked as inhuman as Xerxes snarl made his look. _**Time to end this. **_

He reached his hand back and thrust it deep into the hunters ribs, a snarl escaping his now smiling lips. His intent was not to let this hunter simply drown in his own blood however. He released his grip on the hunters throat, only to shove his index and ring finger into the eyes of his enemy. The hunter howled yet again in pain. The howl was cut short however when Xerxes twisted his hand sharply to the right, snapping the hunters neck.

Pulling both of his hands out, he let the corpse fall to the ground in a heap. Xerxes tilted his head back and released a scream of victory.

"Zachary? Please tell me that its still you." Zoey's voice was a strange mix of hope, worry, and sadness. When Xerxes turned his head, he saw why. The three males that she had been with with only yesterday surrounded her, their weapons trained right on Xerxes face.

_SHIT!_

Authors Note:OOH! A cliff-hangar! Little shorter than the others, my apologies. Don't take that review with you when you leave! Leave it here, I'll take care of it.


	5. My Resignation Authors Note

Authors Note: I am sorry to say that I have completely lost this story. I don't know where to go with it and am therefore going to give it over to it over to My friend, FrostxBite.

Please go to his profile if you would like to continue reading Recognition.

I feel awful for having to stop this at such a cliff-hangar moment. I really do. Please Don't hate me for this.

I have started another story but I need to get a friends permission before I can upload it.

It will basically be what happens after the infection hits my home town.

Again, I apologize for dropping this story at such a bad time, but the inspiration is simply gone.

I love you all for your wonderful reviews, they kept me going when nothing else could.

With immense remorse - shabbacabba


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